Evaluating Environmental Performance and User Behavior in a University Courtyard Under Hot-Arid Climate Conditions

University courtyards are important outdoor spaces that can contribute to environmental quality, social interaction, and campus well-being. However, in hot-arid climates, excessive solar exposure, limited vegetation and shading, and extensive hardscape can constrain prolonged outdoor use. Despite growing interest in sustainable campus environments, comparatively limited field-based research has examined how observable environmental characteristics correspond with actual patterns of occupancy, circulation, and stationary activity in contemporary university courtyards under hot-arid conditions. This study addresses this gap through a field-based evaluation of the main courtyard at Prince Sultan University (PSU) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An integrated observational methodology comprising comparative visual assessment, structured site observations, behavioral mapping, KDE-based activity-density mapping, and photographic documentation was employed to examine environmental characteristics and spatial and temporal patterns of courtyard use. The findings revealed a consistent spatial concentration of stationary activities within areas characterized by greater shade, vegetation, and seating availability, whereas exposed hardscape areas were used predominantly for circulation and supported comparatively little stationary occupancy. Walking represented the principal circulation activity, while sitting, studying, waiting, social interaction, phone use, and eating/drinking occurred primarily within more environmentally supported locations. During organized university cultural events, increased occupancy and social activity corresponded with a temporary courtyard configuration incorporating additional shading, flexible seating, landscape elements, vendor activities, exhibitions, and programmed uses. Because these features were introduced concurrently, the event comparison is interpreted as a naturalistic observational comparison rather than evidence of a causal effect attributable to any individual intervention. The findings demonstrate recurring associations between observable environmental characteristics and patterns of courtyard use but do not provide direct physiological or perceived measures of thermal comfort. Overall, the study provides context-specific empirical evidence from a hot-arid university setting and demonstrates the value of integrating complementary observational methods to evaluate relationships between environmental characteristics and actual patterns of outdoor-space utilization. The findings can inform climate-responsive courtyard improvements while maintaining appropriate boundaries regarding thermal comfort, causality, and generalizability.